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FEB 20 KARABAKH MARKED 15TH JUBILEE OF KARABAKH LIBERATION MOVEMENT
According to ARMINFO's own correspondent in Stepanakert, from early morning a full-flowing human river streamed to the Stepanakert memorial complex to bring flowers to the monuments of the heros of the Karabakh war, the victims of the Sumqayit tragedy and the first chairman of the Supreme Council Artur Mkrtchyan. The same Karabakh's Parliament made an official statement saying that the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, represented by its democratically elected government, is ready to settle the Karabakh conflict through peaceful talks and to cooperate with their colleagues worldwide. At an official governmental meeting, Karabakh's President Arkady Ghoukassyan said that Feb 20 marked the beginning of a new stage in Karabakh's struggle for independence. The proclamation of statehood was not an end in itself. "We had to ensure the security of the Armenians of Artsakh [Karabakh]." The day was quite eventful: a scientific conference in Artsakh University, a meeting of Karabakh war activists with staffs of various companies and organizations, an exhibition of young artists.
Addressing his people the religious leader of Karabakh, primate of
Artsakh Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Pargev
Martirosyan said that in response to the Karabakh people's declared
self-determination came massacres in Sumqayit, blockade and war. "We
paid a high price for our victory, but as a result we have the
consolidation of Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora. It was this unity and
high spirit that helped as to win."
OVER 300 UNITS OF VARIOUS EQUIPMENT CLEAN SNOW-CLAD ROADS OF ARMENIA
It has been snowing in Armenia unceasingly for three days already,
this causing obstructions on many roads, such as Gyumri-Ashotsk,
Gyumri-Spitak, Gyumri-Maralik. The snow falls are exacerbated by
strong winds and in some places blizzards. For all that, Armenia's
roads are mostly open except for a section of the Artik-Aragats
road.
ALL ARMENIA'S POLITICAL FORCES MUST DECLARE INVALID RESULTS OF FEB 19
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND START FROM THE VERY BEGINNING
He said that a number of qualitative and quantitative violations were registered during the race having much impact on the ballot. The proclamation of the second round was also a violation as it was made under pressure. To this testifies the fact that Pres.Kocharyan's final showing was 49.8% of votes against 51% and further growth tendencies reported earlier. Commenting on Thursday's rally in front of the building of the Central Electoral Commission, Hayrikyan said that it was much like the events of 1996. He pronounced against the pressure exerted on the ralliers. Peaceful talks could have been more productive. At the same time, Hayrikyan disproved the ralliers' statements that actually Stepan Demirtchyan polled 70% of votes. This, according to Hayrikyan, means that the other leader Artashes Geghamyan received a very small percentage of votes. "From the very beginning people talked about three candidates and not two plus one," Hayrikyan said noting that in fact Geghamyan have suffered the most. The only way out of the current situation, according to Hayrkyan , is to declare the ballot invalid, punish all the falsifiers - "as the atmosphere of impunity broods people like Nairi Hunanyan" - and to restart the election this time using coupons and involving the voters themselves in the process of list-making.
Asked whom he will personally support during the second round
Hayrikyan said "there are difficulties with both candidates," noting
that in fact he was the most deserving candidate but "I withdrew my
candidacy to comply with the people's will, which is not always
right."
ARMENIAN OPPOSITION CALLS RESULTS OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FALSIFIED
AND CONSIDER STEPAN DEMRICHYAN WINNER OF FIRST ROUND
It should be noted that alongside with political figures, Leader of the National-Democratic Union Vazgen Manoukyan, Head of the Center of Strategic Initiatives "Prospect" the political scientist Aram Karapetyan and Head of the United Armenians party Ruben Avagyan, who yet before the election announced their support to Leader of the People's Party of Armenia Stepan Demirchyan, participate in the action. It should be noted that Vazgen Manoukyan and Aram Karapetyan received insignificant quantity of votes in the first round of the election. As regards Ruben Avagyan, who is in the last place, as to the votes in his favor, he joined Stepan Demirchyan today. The action participants expressed confidence in the victory of Stepan Demirchyan. Chairman of the "Anrapetutyun" party Albert Bazeyan said Stepan Demirchyan won yet in the first round, and the change of power is unavoidable. He pointed out that he does not recognize Robert Kocharyan the president and demanded the authorities to bring to responsibility the falsifiers. "The pre-election staff of Robert Kocharyan is a den of criminals residing in the holly of hollies of the Armenian science, in the building of the National Academy of Sciences, Bazeyan said, demanding Kocharyan's supporters "Be off!!" He also demanded the CEC of Armenia to provide the real results of the first round, according to which, Stepan Demrichyan is already the President of Armenia. "We have prepared 9 applications to the Prosecutor General's Office on the violations in the course of voting," Bazeyan said. He pointed out that according to the Electoral Code, the final results will be published on Feb 23 in the evening, in this connection the CEC is expected to declare Robert Kocharyan the President of Armenia on Feb 22, while the statement on the second round is "an attempt of letting the air out." Bazeyan said the results of the voting in Los Angeles testify that Stepan Demirchyan received 10 times more votes than Kocharyan. In his turn, Representative of Artashes Geghamyan's Staff, MP Manuk Gasparyan said Robert Kocharyan has already been defeated and only drags on to gain 15 days. "I am empowered to state that the rumors that Artashes Geghamyan 'is not with the people' are spread by Robert Kocharyan's followers. Geghamyan's position is the same, he is for the change of power and will speak on Television in the near future and will confirm that he did not give up the people," Gasparyan said. He advised the head of the pre-election staff of the President Serge Sargssyan "to buy pampers, as he is already frightened of." Gasparyan also warned the ministers and officials not to make the same mistakes in the second round, as "they will have to make explanations to the people."
Speaking at the action, MP Shavarsh Kocharyan said the people's will
made the acting regime and the CEC to deviate from the planned step
and refuse from declaring Robert Kocharyan the President in the first
round. However, it is only a transitional victory, the final one will
be when the CEC recognizes Stepan Demirchyan the President. At
present, the opposition demands the Prosecutor General's Office and
the Police to bring to responsibility the falsifiers of the election,
the Parliament to mind its business, and not push through its
candidate, and the MPs to attend the Parliamentary sessions and
work.
MEMBERS OF OPPOSITION-HELD MEETING DIRECT THEIR STEPS TOWARDS
BUILDING OF GENERAL PROCURATOR'S OFFICE OF ARMENIA
FEBRUARY 21. The members of the meeting organized by the opposition in the center of Yerevan have directed their steps to the building of the General Procurator's Office of Armenia demanding to initiate proceedings against Armenia's President Robert Kocharyan "on the fact of the falsification of the election results."
According to ARMINFO's correspondent, the procession has not been
sanctioned by city authorities. The members of the procession of
about ten thousand people have already blocked the Mashtots Avenue
and, scanning "Demirchyan Is Our President," are moving towards the
building of the General Procurator's Office of Armenia
BALLOT-BOX STUFFING RECORDED AT ALL POLLING STATIONS IN ECHMIADZIN
FEBRUARY 21. During the February 19 presidential election in Armenia ballot-box stuffing was recorded at all the polling stations in Echmiadzin, Press Secretary of the "Choice is Yours" Hasmik Sargssian told a press conference. According to her, ballot-boxes were stuffed by the Mayor of Echmiadzin, member of Parliament Hakob Hakobian and a group of unknown persons. According to Sargssian, that was being done in the presence of voters, local observers and election commissions. Ballot-box stuffing was also recorded in two polling stations in Abovian. During the calculation of votes in Yerevan's Nor Nork community, a discrepancy between the number of ballot-papers and that of the signatures in the voters' lists. The difference was 106 ballot-papers, which allowed the observers to suppose ballot-box stuffing. A similar case was recorded at polling station 1260/42, where, as observers and the candidates' proxies estimated, 824 persons voted, whereas the number of ballot-papers in the ballot-box was 1,024. Sargssian reported that violations involving the voters' lists were also registered. The names of some citizens were not included in the voters' lists, while the voters' lists included the names of persons that died 5,6 and even ten years ago, as well as of persons who are not currently residing in given election districts. A number of violations of the voting order and in the calculation of votes were recorded as well. For example, in one of the polling stations in the Nor-Nork community ballot-papers "against all" were found during the calculation of votes cast in favor of the incumbent President. A hundred invalid ballot-papers were also found. Violations of servicemen's voting right were also recorded. According to local observers, violations of law by the candidates' proxies were registered as well. For instance, one of the proxies of the presidential candidate Garnik Margaria, using a knife, tried to exert pressure on an election commission member. The proxy of the presidential candidate Artashes Geghamian took away the passport from a citizen who came to a polling station in the election district he was not registered. The proxies of Ruben Avagian and Robert Kocharian also committed violations. Cases of pressure on and violation of rights of the candidates' proxies, observers and journalists were registered as well.
Responding to the question as to which of the candidates the
ballot-box stuffing was done for, Vice-President of the
"Choice is Yours" organization Khachik Voskanian pointed out that it
can be judged from who was stuffing the ballot-boxes. According to
him, 1,500 observers of the organization monitored the presidential
election. They visited 700 polling stations in 25 towns and village
communities of Armenia.
PARTICIPANTS OF PROCESSION IN YEREVAN GO TO GOVERNMENT HOUSE OF
ARMENIA
FEBRUARY 21. The participants of the procession in the center of Yerevan, went to the building of the Prosecutor General's Office of the republic, demanding to institute a criminal case against the incumbent President of Armenia Robert Kocharian "as a falsifier of the results of the presidential election", and then went to the Government House of Armenia.
ARMINFO's correspondent informs from the place of events, currently
the depleted procession stopped at the Government House, scanning
"Demirchian - president!". The Government House is encircled by
detachments of the police.
PARTICIPANTS OF RALLY OF OPPOSITION "GIVE 48 HOURS" TO AUTHORITIES TO
DECLARE STEPAN DEMIRCHIAN PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA
FEBRUARY 21. The participants of rally of many thousands in the center of Yerevan stated about that they "give 48 hours" to the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia to declare Stepan Demirchian a winner and the president of the country. The leader of the party "Hanrapetoutiun" (Republic) Aram Sargsian, who joined Stepan Demirchian, the opposition give an opportunity to the CEC and its Head Artak Sahradian to declare Stepan Demirchian the president at the night of Feb 22, when the official results of voting will be promulgated. Otherwise, Sargsian appealed to the people, to go to the presidential palace and "throw out Robert Kocharian from there. There will not be the second round, it's clear", the leader of "Hanrapetoutiun" said. He also informed that the regular rally of the opposition will be held on Feb 23, and if the conditions are not fulfilled, the people will take the power by force. Sargsian has also appealed to the political parties, which supported Robert Kocharian the day before the election, including the Republican party, ARF Dashnaktsoutiun and the party Orinats yerkir and personally to its leader Arthur Baghdasarian, and called them to join Stepan Demirchian.
During his speech the leader of the People's party Stepan Demirchian
said that is happening testifies about awakening of the people. The
collective will won and the unity of the political forces is
obvious. "We'll direct this force to prosperity and building. There
are many problems, but we'll overcome them together", Demirchian
stressed, calling not to defy provocations. "We shall establish order
legally", the PPA leader said.
Currently the participants of the rally go to the building of the
Prosecutor General's Office to demand to bring criminal cases against
"falsifiers of the results of the presidential election".
RESULTS OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED ILLEGITIMATE:
CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENCY ARTASHES GEGHAMYAN
CEC APPROVES FORM OF BALLOT-PAPERS IN PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF ELECTION
FEBRUARY 21. The Central Electoral Commission has approved the form of ballot-papers that are to be used in the presidential run-off election scheduled for March 5, 2003. According to the CEC's resolution, the ballot-paper will have three columns in the alphabetic order: Demirchian Stepan, Kocharian Robert and the "against all" column. The CEC approved the form of preliminary and final protocols of the local election commissions and of the Central Electoral Commission, as well as the form of voters' lists for the presidential run-off election.
It should be noted that the CEC member, representative of the
"National Unity" party Zaven Pluzian publicly refused to take part
both in the CEC's meeting and in the voting thus protesting against
"the authorities arbitrary rule during the election."
PRO-PRESIDENTIAL POLITICAL FORCES SURE OF ROBERT KOCHARIAN'S VICTORY
IN RUN-OFF
FEBRUARY 21. The pro-presidential political forces of Armenia are sure that Robert Kocharian will win the run-off election. Vice-Speaker of Armenian Parliament Tigran Torossian reported that during the next two week Robert Kocharian's election staff must carry out better organized and effective work, which will allow to receive the results that will not arouse anyone's doubts, and the newly elected president, supported by the public, will with more resolution deal with the problems facing the country. Commenting on the opposition's statements concerning violations during the first round, Torossian stressed that some of them can only be called groundless. According to him, if any violations are recorded, they must be committed to documents and reported to the relevant instances - the CEC, courts and, if appealed, to the Constitutional Court. TURKISH SECURITY COUNCIL CENSURES DEMONSTRATION OF ATOM EGOYAN'S "ARARAT" IN TURKEY FEBRUARY 21. The issue of showing Atom Egoyan's "Ararat" in Turkey has been censured by the country's Security Council exclusively because the film is about the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman regime in 1915. Turkish media reports the council as saying that some of the movie's episodes are anti-Turkish and so the film may cause an even more negative response among the Turks than did Ararat's "scandalous" predecessor, Alan Parker's Midnight Express. The Turkish side was most indignant over the episodes of violence committed by Turks against Armenian women and those picturing Turkish solders' using modern arms against Armenians. Now the final decision is up to the Control Commission. COUNTERFEITERS FROM ARMENIA DETAINED IN MOSCOW FEBRUARY 21. Counterfeiters from Armenia have been detained in Moscow. Law-enforcers believe that the printing-house is in Armenia, and the counterfeit US dollars were delivered to Russia along with cargoes of fruits. Ten suspects were detained in Moscow yesterday. They tries to find a selling channel for the counterfeit US dollars. Law-enforcers managed to make a test purchase. The counterfeits were of high quality. HEADLINES OF 21 FEBRUARY
MINOR QUAKE REGISTERED IN ARMENIA
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FEBRUARY 21. Feb 20 Karabakh marked the 15th
jubilee of the National-Liberation Movement.
FEBRUARY 21. Over 300 units of various equipment
are presently cleaning the snow-clad roads of Armenia.
The equipment, some 70 graders, 60 bulldozers and other snow-cleaning
machinery, is being operated by almost 600 people
FEBRUARY 21. Considering the facts of serious
violations during the Feb 19 presidential election in Armenia all the
country's political forces must declare its results invalid and start
the whole process from the very beginning, leader of the
Self-Determination Union party Parouyr Hayrikyan said at a
press-conference today.
FEBRUARY 21. Participants of the action of the
opposition organized in Yerevan today called the Presidential
election of Feb 19, 2003 falsified. According to preliminary data,
some 70-80,000 people participate in the action.
FEBRUARY 21. The results of the Feb 19 Presidential
election in Armenia should be recognized illegitimate, said candidate
for Presidency, Leader of the National Unity party Artashes Geghamyan
in his interview to the "Freedom" radio station.
He said to agree with a run-off election means to agree with 700,000
votes "ascribed" to Robert Kocharyan by the CEC. In this connection,
speaking of support to any candidate in the run-off election, in
particular, to PPA Leader Stepan Demirchyan, is inexpedient,
Geghamyan said. He said it would mean recognition of the results of
the first round.
In his turn, Head of the Center of Strategic Initiatives "Prospect"
the political scientist Aram Karapetyan expressed confidence in
Stepan Demirchyan's victory in the run-off. At the same time, he
pointed out that in case of Demirchyan's victory, he does not intend
to appeal for any high posts in the new Government, as he masters
economy not worse than anyone from the opposition. He said it is even
more inexpedient appointing Artashes Geghamyan as an experienced
political figure or the member of the Board of the "Anrapetutyun"
party Aram Sargssyan to the post of the Prime Minister of Armenia,
the more so as Sargssyan occupied this post in 1999-2000. Aram
Karapetyan also said that several high-ranking associates of Robert
Kocharyan decided to go over to the opposition camp, "sensing the
danger of a change of the power." He said the phone-calls of these
persons heard at opposition staffs are an evident of it.-
